


liquid courage

by Dresupi



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol, Christmas Party, Cutesy, F/F, Facetime, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Holidays, Pre-Relationship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Wine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 04:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12880263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dresupi/pseuds/Dresupi
Summary: Mulled cider and mulled wine look surprisingly similar, but one lends more in the way of liquid courage than the other.AKA, the one where Darcy asks Natasha out over videochat.





	liquid courage

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Wino](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wino/gifts).



> Happy Holidays, everyone! (And especially to the amazing Wino, who I hope will enjoy this little gift fic!) 
> 
> Super huge thanks to thestanceyg and hollyspacey for giving this a look for me! :D (Seriously, y'all. Stancey looked over like FIFTEEN OF THESE THINGS FOR ME. She deserves a beta award!)
> 
> solnyshko-sunshine
> 
> December 1: “This mulled cider is great…” “Yeah… that’s not cider, it’s wine.” “WHAT?”

Darcy was just pulling the last of the foam rollers out of her hair when her phone buzzed on the bathroom vanity beside her.  

Natasha’s picture flashed on the screen; it was the sneak-attack one Darcy had snapped when she had her mouth full of spaghetti. There was even a little sauce on her chin.  

Natasha hated the pic, but Darcy loved it.  

She dropped the last of the rollers into the zipper case beside her and swiped the screen to check her text.  

_“I was called away, won’t be able to make it tonight.  Sorry, solnyshko…”_

Darcy felt her bottom lip poke out.  She had volumized her hair.  She’d bought a new sweater.  It was pink and showed just enough cleavage to be purposeful.  She’d gone to Ulta and spent a small fortune on new mascara and various other cosmetic unnecessities.

And now Natasha wasn’t even coming to the party?  

She was disappointed,  but didn’t want to make Nat feel bad.  So she simply texted back:   _“Awww, sorry to hear that.  I’ll miss you.  Can you text me, or will you be busy?”_

She picked up the hairbrush and began to run it gently through her hair, careful not to tamp down the wildness in the waves.  It usually took Natasha a while to text her back, so she was surprised to hear phone buzz again so soon.  

_“I’m on a flight back, so I’m all yours. ;)”_

The winky face was a life ender.  Natasha never used emojis.  Was this her subtle way of flirting?  

Darcy didn’t want to assume anything.

_“All mine, huh? Guess I don’t need anything else for Christmas… ;)”_

Her heart clenched the second she pressed send.  And she wished, not for the first time, that she could reach out into the void and snatch a text back after having sent it.

But she couldn’t.  It was out in the universe.  And showing up on Natasha Romanov’s phone even as Darcy began sweating bullets.  

Nat sent something back immediately.  

_“I still got you a gift. Consider this a bonus. ;)”_

Gulping, Darcy sent a series of hearts and then set her phone down to finish her hair and makeup for the party.  She could maybe at least send Nat a selfie after she was dressed and ready.  No need to let her look go to waste just because the recipient of said look wasn’t physically present.  

It didn’t take her as long as she’d been expecting, so she had about twenty minutes to kill before leaving her apartment to head down to the party.  Which was plenty of time to take a hundred useless selfies, as she soon found out.  

Why wasn’t she naturally photogenic like everyone else in this complex seemed to be?  She looked hella amazing, but her phone camera was just NOT getting the memo.  

Finally, through sheer frustration/exhaustion with the whole ordeal, she lay back on her bed, her hair flowing out in a halo around her.  She bit her bottom lip and snapped a picture, and thank _THOR_ almighty it did her justice.  

She sent it via text to Natasha and held her breath as she waited for her friend to see it.  

Natasha read the message and typed back one word.  

_“Wow!”_

Darcy preened a little, her cheeks flushing even though no one was really here with her.  

She texted back, _“Thank you?”_ so as not to seem too conceited or anything.  

_“You are beautiful, solnyshko. I’m sorry I can’t be at the party with you.”_

Her heart thudded in her chest as she swiped her response:  “ _Facetime?_ ” It thudded right up into her throat after.  

_“For the entire party?”_

Darcy began to backtrack.   _“I mean, if you want.  If not, it’s no big deal… I mean, Clint’s there and he’s sure to do something memorable.  I can’t be the only person secretly laughing at these dorks…”_

_“Darcy, if it’s not too much trouble, I would love to facetime with you for the party.”_

Grinning, Darcy tapped the Facetime button.  

* * *

 

“Okay, so the party is in full swing…” Darcy said, spinning her phone around upon her entrance.  “As you can see… Clint is already curious about the bottom of the punch bowl…”  

Natasha didn’t laugh, but her lip twitched.  That was just as good as a laugh in Darcy’s book.  

“This is fun and all, Nat?  But I still wish you were here…” Darcy said wistfully.  

Natsha’s red lips twisted into a smirk.  “Go get some of the punch.  Let me live vicariously through you…”  

“They aren’t giving you anything to drink on that flight?” Darcy asked incredulously.  

“They did, but it was one of those tiny cans of soda…commercial flights…” Natasha said with a shrug.

“You’re on a commercial flight?”  Darcy asked.  “Aren’t the other passengers upset about us talking so much?”  

Natasha lifted her phone and slowly circled the cabin.  While there were other seats in first class, not a single one was filled.  

“Ah. I see.”  

She shrugged again.  “Drink?”  

“Okay, but it’s just mulled cider…”  

Darcy crossed the floor, sidestepping Clint and Thor on her way to the refreshments table.  She filled a cup with the warm mulled cider and took a sip.  “Mmmmm,” she hummed. “It’s heavenly.”  

Natasha’s lip twitched again.  “Sounds like it.”  

Darcy took another sip, feeling a bit more bold than she had before.  “Heya, Nat… you think that maybe when you get back we could like… I dunno.  Start seeing each other?”  

Natasha’s eyebrows went up, an actual-facts-smile spread on her lips.  “Start seeing each other _more_?  Because while we see each other a lot, I could definitely go for seeing you more.”  

Grinning, Darcy shook her head.  “No.  Well. Yes.  But seeing each other in a… _romantical_ capacity?”  

Natasha tilted her head.  “Thought you’d never ask.”  

Darcy’s heart leapt and bounded in her chest, making the rounds of her entire thoracic cavity.  She beamed, feeling the blush rise in her cheeks and having little else to do but take another sip of her cider.  “This mulled cider is _great!”_ She exclaimed.  

Nat pressed her full lips together in a line before responding.  “Yeah… Darce…  that’s not cider, it’s _wine_.”

“ _WHAT_?”  Darcy peered into the cup.  “Not possible, I hate wine. Too bitter.”  

“The color’s too dark to be cider.  It’s wine.”  

“Maybe it’s cranberry juice,” she argued.  

“Nope!”  Clint interjected, sliding up behind Darcy to wave at Natasha on her screen. “It’s WINE, Darcy-Girl… Hey Nat!”  

Darcy’s mouth fell open. “Oh my Thor, I accidentally gave myself liquid courage…”  

Clint glanced between Natasha on the phone and Darcy herself.  “Are you guys _finally_ \--?  Oh good grief, it’s about time! Drink some more, Darce.  Maybe go ask Tony for a raise next…”  

“Hey, you’re right… I _do_ deserve a raise!”  

Clint took the phone from her and clapped her on the back.  “Atta girl.”  

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are like candy! And I love me some candy, y'all! <3 <3 <3


End file.
